Players ready for Cincinnati

A few more notes after hearing from the players.

Zach Hurd was asked which of his fellow seniors might shed tears on senior day. "I would have said 'Goof' over there, Mathieu Olivier," Hurd said. "But he's already had one senior day. I don't know if the second one is more emotional." Olivier, of course, was honored last season before he changed his mind and decided to return for his fifth season of eligibility.

Most of the players plan on watching "The Backyard Brawl" on Friday morning. Zach Frazer isn't so sure. "I won't watch," he said. "Maybe a little. I'd rather watch HBO."

Four years at UConn, and fullback Anthony Sherman has never scored a touchdown. His role is to block for the tailbacks and demolish people on special teams, which he does very well. Aside from his sophomore season, when he caught 26 passes for 270 yards, Sherman rarely touches the ball. Edsall was asked if he'd get Sherman a touchdown on Senior Day. Edsall said Sherman could always strip the ball carrier on special teams and return the fumble for a touchdown. Told about that later, Sherman said, "They must have had a meeting about that because (running backs coach) Terry Richardson said the exact same thing two weeks ago," Sherman said. Sherman was unstoppable as a ball carrier in his native North Attleboro, Mass., his high school's career leader in rushing yards (2,537), scoring (284 points) and touchdowns (48). He said he's embraced his role at UConn, and doesn't care about scoring a touchdown. "I had enough of them in high school to not let it bother me now," Sherman said. "I'm a team guy. If I get frustrated, it hinders the team."

Hurd spoke about his decision to attend UConn coming out of Waterford, and how important he felt it was to stay close to home and represent the state university. "(The state of Connecticut) has seen me grow up," Hurd said. He also mentioned the pride he and his fellow offensive linemen take in seeing the statistics of the tailbacks. "(Their statistics) are my statistics," Hurd said.